The invention relates to a computerized system and method for identifying a vehicle based on a load to be transported and vehicle characteristics. More particularly, the invention relates to such a system and method which store or otherwise have access to characteristics of a number of vehicles, and which identify an appropriate vehicle in response to load information input thereto, e.g., by a prospective user of a prospective vehicle.
Transporting a load with a vehicle appropriate for the load has many advantages. Therefore, where a choice of vehicles is available, an appropriate vehicle should be selected.
The process of identifying a truck appropriate for a move based on a consideration of the particular items to be transported and the vehicles available can be performed manually or using a computer. For example, the web site at http://www.moving.com includes a xe2x80x9cweight and volume calculatorxe2x80x9d that provides a total weight and total volume for a load in response to input by a computer user of items that make up the load. Tables of items are presented for various room types into which a user can enter the number of each listed item. This site also might provide an estimate of a truck size parameter corresponding to the particular set of items input by the computer user. However, this feature, although presented for use, was not operable shortly before this application was filed. (xe2x80x9cSizexe2x80x9d, depending on the context, may encompass volume or weight parameters, or both, e.g., the volume occupied by and/or the weight of a set of items constituting a given load, or the volume and/or weight capacity of a vehicle.)
The xe2x80x9cMoving Calculatorxe2x80x9d, available on www.homefair.com, purports to calculate the approximate cost of a residential move based on the following information input by a computer user: the location of the items to be moved and the location to which the items are to be moved, room types having furniture included in the move, family size and number of years at the origin residence. At filing of this application, this xe2x80x9cMoving Calculatorxe2x80x9d did not appear to be operable.
The xe2x80x9cSpace Estimatorxe2x80x9d available at www.upack.com calculates a xe2x80x9clinear footage requiredxe2x80x9d for moving of a user-specified set of items using trucks provided by the site operator. The calculation is based on selections made by a user from a table of default volume values for various items, the table supplied by the site operator. The user also has the option of defining additional items and specifying their volume. The system does not recommend a truck or truck size for use in transporting the item set.
The xe2x80x9cAdvanced Truck Size Calculatorxe2x80x9d available at www.yellowtruck.com recommends a vehicle type based on a checklist of items a user wishes to move. The calculation is based on selections made by a user from a table of default volume values for various items, the table supplied by the site operator. The user also has the option of defining additional items and specifying their volume.
The invention seeks to provide an improved system and method for identifying a vehicle appropriate for a given load.
The invention provides improved systems and methods for identifying a vehicle appropriate for a given load. In so doing, or independently, the invention provides for improved calculation, estimation or determination of the size of a given load, and for the manner in which a given load is defined. The invention also provides an interactive system and method for providing information regarding items to be included in a given load, and for identifying an appropriate vehicle to transport the items about which information was supplied.
Embodiments of the invention identify an appropriate vehicle based not only on load parameters such as item volume and/or weight but also on at least one other criterion or factor. Other criteria or factors include but are not limited to inefficiencies in packing the vehicle, availability in inventory of a most appropriate and other appropriate vehicles. In preferred embodiments of the invention vehicle identification is accomplished with the assistance of a user interface which allows a user to define one or more items of a load, and/or a user interface which provides graphical representations of items, such as icons, and accepts input of selected item information through interaction with the graphical representations, e.g., xe2x80x9cpoint and clickxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cdrag and dropxe2x80x9d, etc., operations. In a preferred embodiment, the graphical representations represent items typically present in a household or office move, such as sofas, chairs, tables, desks, beds, etc., and selection of a particular item is achieved by dragging the item and dropping it in a graphical representation of a vehicle or storage facility.
The invention provides a method performed by a computerized system, and a computerized system, for selecting an appropriate vehicle to transport a given or projected load. A user interface is provided operable for defining characteristics of the projected vehicle load. A size of the load is calculated using characteristics defined with the user interface. A vehicle is identified based on the calculated size of the load and load capacities of vehicles stored by the system or to which the system has access, and on at least one other criterion. Other criteria may include the efficiency with which the load capacity of the transport vehicle is used, including for example either the relative skill with which the vehicle is packed or inefficiencies caused by the number, size, shape and/or weight of large or bulky items, or items which are otherwise difficult to pack or reduce the effectiveness with which the load capacity of the vehicle may be utilized, or the relationship between such items and the particular shape, size, or dimension of the vehicle in which they are to be transported; the need for special handling, storage or transportation conditions of items to be transported, as for example temperature, humidity, pressure, or other climatic or environmental conditions; and the availability of individual vehicles or vehicle classes within a fleet, or at a particular location. Following selection, the identified vehicle is provided to the user interface for presentation to a user. In the preferred embodiment, vehicle identification is based on vehicles for which the system indicates an availability for possible use by a prospective user.
The method and system provide for input by a user of characteristics of a load, or of particular items included in the load, that are relevant in determining the ultimate size of the load and/or the size capacity of the vehicle to be used for transporting the load. Such characteristics include, for example: the quantity and type of items to be included in the load; the volume and weight sizes of such items, represented by dimensions, shapes, weights and volumes; the fragility, flammability, and/or perishability of items; or other characteristics resulting in special packing and/or handling requirements.
One criterion preferably used by systems and methods according to the invention to identify an appropriate or suitable vehicle, and/or to define a required vehicle size capacity for transporting a load considers inefficiencies in packing the load inside the vehicle by a packer or packers. The inventors are aware that there exists a substantial variation in the relative efficiencies of different classes of vehicle packers. There typically exists, for example, a substantial difference in the efficiency with which vehicles are packed by professional movers and by non-professional movers who rent trucks and move their own household or office items. Packing efficiency can be expressed as the ratio of used (or unused) vehicle size capacity and the total or gross available vehicle size capacity. (The higher the used/total capacity ratio, the higher the packing efficiency, and the higher the unused/total capacity ratio, the lower the packing efficiency.) The amount of a vehicle""s volume or weight load capacity left unused after an entire load has been loaded into the vehicle can either be measured or estimated. Such inefficiencies can be aggravated by unusual bulk or irregular shapes or dimensions of items to be packed.
The inventors have observed that on average a non-professional vehicle packer uses between about 50% and about 90% of available capacity. On average, such movers have been found to use about 80% of available capacity. To ensure that a mover has an appropriately sized vehicle, the invention preferably takes packing efficiency into consideration in identifying an appropriate vehicle based on user input of load information. Thereby, the invention typically identifies a vehicle having the smallest possible truly accurate load size.
Another criterion used in the identification of vehicles according to the preferred embodiment of the invention is the availability of vehicles within a set of vehicles, based on criteria such as those discussed above. This includes the availability of vehicles within a user-defined set of locations, which might mean, for example, in a single location, or in any one of multiple locations, or in or near one or more such localities. It is often not efficient and therefore not desirable, for example, to suggest to a user a vehicle having an appropriate load capacity for a move in one location when such vehicles are only available in a distant location. The preferred embodiment therefore considers the availability of vehicles in or near the local of the move.
User interfaces suitable for use with the invention employ any satisfactory means of facilitating input, selection or designation by the user of items making up a load. For example, tables, lists, drop-down menus with text and/or graphical representations, etc., which accept data entry may be used. Data entry may include entering a number or selecting an item using a pointing device or keyboard. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, data input fields are provided for receiving descriptions and/or size information of user-defined items and quantities thereof.
One user interface mentioned above provides graphical representations of items and accepts input from a user to designate the items, e.g., by xe2x80x9cpoint and clickxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdrag and dropxe2x80x9d operations using a mouse or digitizer device. For example, the xe2x80x9cdrag and dropxe2x80x9d feature used in many applications is particularly well adapted for use with systems according to the invention. Graphical representations of various items such as items of household or office furniture may be provided on a computer monitor screen, and a mouse used to select them and drag them into a graphical representation of a vehicle or vehicle loading space. Upon being dropped in the vehicle, the item, with its associated characteristics, is input as a load item.
A method provided by the invention includes the following: providing a user interface including a plurality of selectable items, such as for example graphical representations of household or office furniture; receiving input of user selected items; identifying an appropriate vehicle from a set of vehicles based on a size determined from information associated with each input item and load capacities of the vehicles; and presenting information related to the identified vehicle via the user interface. The set of vehicles may include all vehicles in a system, or only vehicles available within a particular locality at a particular time. The method may retrieve one or more dimensions, volumes or weights associated with the items, and process the retrieved information to determine a size of the load. The method may then select a vehicle capable of accommodating the load, optionally taking into consideration a packing efficiency. Optionally, the method may, prior to identifying an appropriate vehicle, present interim results via the user interface, e.g., total volume or weight. Such interim results may be presented on an intermittent or running basis, for reference by the user during the process of inputting load items; and/or may be stored for later use, together with a data set of items and item characteristics entered by the user, as for example to allow a user to log off during an interrupted session but to resume at a later time without having to reenter previously input data.
A computer system provided by the invention includes the following: a client system having an input device, e.g., a mouse, digitizer and/or keyboard, and an output device, e.g., a computer monitor or printer. A user uses the input device to input information related to items of a projected load. The system also includes a server system coupled to the client system. The server system includes a controller and application programming logic, executable by the controller in response to requests (xe2x80x9crequestxe2x80x9d includes, for example, commands and instructions) from the client system. The application programming logic is adapted for processing load information received from the client system, identifying an appropriate vehicle based on the load information load size, capacities of vehicles within a set of vehicles (as discussed above), and at least one other criterion, such as described herein; and presenting information identifying the identified vehicle on the output device.
Data processing systems according to the invention may also include user interfaces presented on the output device. In one embodiment, the user interface includes a plurality of fields for receiving information defining the load. For example, the plurality of fields may include a description of an item within a predefined inventory of items and a field for receiving a quantity of the predefined items to be included in the load. The plurality of fields may also include a field for receiving a description of a user-defined item, a field for receiving a quantity of the user-defined item to be included in the load and a field for receiving a measurement of a size or dimension of the user-defined item. In another embodiment the user interface includes a plurality of graphic representations that are selectable for identifying items within the load. For example, the graphic representations may include an alphabetic and/or numeric character, a symbol or multimedia object. Characteristics of the items represented, such as volume and/or weight sizes, may be associated with the graphic representations as information relating to projected transport loads, for use in identifying vehicles suitable for transporting the loads as described herein.